Oooh, "rigged data!" Nothing loaded about that phraseology, is there? The issue is how folks are covered for non-emergency out-of-network care. Traditionally, reimbursement rates for these services are paid as a percentage of "usual and customary" (UCR). And who decides what's UCR? Well, apparently Ingenix does.

Which raises an important, if impudent, question: so what?

Someone has to set these rates, else what's the benchmark? And imagine the hue and cry if the carriers themselves did so. Kind of a "darned if you do..." scenario. According to the company's website, over 1,500 insurance companies and health plans utilize these services (that number's important: it represents the vast majority of carriers). Interestingly, over 200,000 health care providers also use this service.

Wonder when Mr C's going to investigate them?

And since he apprently doesn't think that little effort's going to take some doing, the Empire State's AG plans to sue one of our favorite targets, United HealthCare, for allegedly engaging in "deceptive practices."

And what practices are these, you may wonder?

In order to rein in out-of-network costs, UHC chose to "keep their reimbursements artificially low and force patients to absorb a higher share of the costs."

A higher share of the costs for choosing to go out of network? Heaven forfend!

Oooh, "rigged data!" Nothing loaded about that phraseology, is there? The issue is how folks are covered for non-emergency out-of-network care. Traditionally, reimbursement rates for these services are paid as a percentage of "usual and customary" (UCR). And who decides what's UCR? Well, apparently Ingenix does.

Which raises an important, if impudent, question: so what?

Someone has to set these rates, else what's the benchmark? And imagine the hue and cry if the carriers themselves did so. Kind of a "darned if you do..." scenario. According to the company's website, over 1,500 insurance companies and health plans utilize these services (that number's important: it represents the vast majority of carriers). Interestingly, over 200,000 health care providers also use this service.

Wonder when Mr C's going to investigate them?

And since he apprently doesn't think that little effort's going to take some doing, the Empire State's AG plans to sue one of our favorite targets, United HealthCare, for allegedly engaging in "deceptive practices."

And what practices are these, you may wonder?

In order to rein in out-of-network costs, UHC chose to "keep their reimbursements artificially low and force patients to absorb a higher share of the costs."

A higher share of the costs for choosing to go out of network? Heaven forfend!